BananaVPN review

March 2018

While BananaVPN does a couple of things right, it is an expensive VPN service and honestly - not really worth the price. Torrenting is not allowed and server list as well as customer support options are very limited.

Overall score

6.8

Highlights

Reliable and stable connections

Multiple protocols

Fast speed

Best for:

Gaming

Sports

Pandora

Hiding IP

Supports:

Roku

Kodi

Hulu

HBO

Monthly payment plans

1 month

$14.99

Per month

Unlimited server switching

Multiple protocols

No ISP throttling

BananaVPN Ratings

5.5

Privacy

7.4

Speed & Performance

7.7

apps

7

servers

7.2

support

6.1

Value for Money

Overall score

6.8

BananaVPN overview

BananaVPN, which let’s be honest, does sound funny, was launched in 2007 and offers profound VPN services, but has its flaws nonetheless. There are about 20 servers located in the US, UK, France, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Singapore and Switzerland. Of course, when compared to some other VPN service providers this list might seem very small. Torrents, P2P or other illegal activities are not allowed for legal reasons and for maintaining server performance, but there are unlimited download and upload speeds available.

Available platforms include Windows, Mac, Linux, routers as well as Android, iOS and some other devices. BananaVPN allows up to 3 simultaneous connections, so this VPN service can cover most of the devices you use on a daily basis.

PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN and SSTP protocols are available and 128-bit encryption is used for protection. However, no encryption type is specified, so it is unknown what kind of encryption is used for which protocol. Moreover, BananaVPN offers protection from Botnets and Phishing sites, but no more advanced options are available. No activity logs are kept, but the company being based in the UK means that you can’t be 100% private and safe, as UK belongs to the Five Eyes group (an alliance between countries that collects, analyzes and shares personal information).

The pricing with VAT in dollars is about $18.14/month. That is probably one of the most expensive monthly payments for VPN services. Moreover, when you fill out your credentials, the form you have to submit asks for very personal information including the purpose of why you’re purchasing the VPN. BananaVPN might also perform a fraud check and in some cases might require for you to provide your ID. The payment methods include paying through phone or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and others). There is no free trial available and only a 3-day money back guarantee is offered. 3 days is a very short period for users to test out the VPN fully, especially when the monthly cost for BananaVPN is extremely high when compared to other providers.

Support options include live chat, email form and a FAQ section. However, support hours are limited, that means that no 24/7 customer support is available. There is also a support forum, but when you click on it - there’s a general error and it’s inaccessible. The FAQ section is short and consists of only about 15 articles in general, but the questions asked are not that relevant.

BananaVPN is a great VPN service provider, but mostly for unblocking geographically restricted locations and safely browsing the web and to be honest - for nothing more. While the multiple protocol selection is nice, there are many drawbacks of this VPN. First, the selection of servers is not that great. Second, the encryption provided is kind of unknown, so it’s difficult to judge the real level protection. Finally, the pricing is expensive on its own and that’s not even comparing it to some other premium VPN providers who offer far more servers and other features.

BananaVPN general highlights:

Overall Rank

#22

Money-back guarantee

3

Setup time

7 min.

Device count per license

3

Mobile apps

iOS & Android

Best price

$14.99/month

Overview - highlights

Multiple protocols to choose from

Narrow server list

Expensive pricing

Limited support hours

Overview - conclusion

BananaVPN is fast and reliable, but it has its flaws like expensive pricing, limited customer support and more.

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